The genus Centaurea L.(Asteraceae) is represented by 205 taxon in Turkey (3, 4, 5) . In traditional medicine, they are used for fever, menstrual disorders, vaginal candidiasis ,the treatment of liver, kidney and ulcer diseases, as antidiarrheal, stomachic, tonic, appetitive, antidiabetic, antipyretic, also as a diuretic and expectorant (6,7). MATERIALS AND METHODS Plant Material Plant samples were collected in the flowering periods from the different regions of Istanbul in 2009 and were

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... ed by Dr.Gizem BULUT. Voucher specimens were deposited in the Her-ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to investigate the antioxidant, antimicrobial activities and total phenolic contents of ten methanol extracts obtained by maceration from capitulums and aerial parts (except for capitulum) of five Centaurea species (C.stenolepis, C.kilaea, C.cuneifolia, C.iberica, C.solstitialis subsp. solstitialis). Free radical scavenging activities and total phenolic contents of the species were assayed by DPPH method and Folin-Ciocalteu method, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts were tested by the micro-broth dilution method against seven microbial species. In the DPPH radical scavenging assay, the IC 50 values of tested ten methanol extracts were in range 1.767-4.665 mg while the total phenol contents of four extracts were found to range between 4.825 and 12.460 mg GAE/g dry material. Four extract showed moderate activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC: 312 μg/ml), while six out of ten extracts exhibited moderate activity against Candida albicans (MIC: 312 μg/ml). The methanol extract prepared from the aerial parts of C.cuneifolia possessed weak activity against Staphylococcus aureus (MIC: 625 μg/ml).